Previously "A Lesson in Class",
Now life updates from Geneva and other travel destinations

16 April, 2007

Slovenia...finally

First of all, Happy Birthday to my good sister on this April 16th. She is turning the big 25, some would say she is at the half of her half-life. Second, let me apologize (it seems I start every post by apologizing) for not posting about Slovenia. I am very late, and since Slovenia, I have been to Brussels, Copenhagen, Malmo Sweden, Berlin, and Dresden. So, Finally...Slovenia.

Slovenia was one of the most beautiful places I have been so far. And it rained most of the time I was there. Mark, Kyle, Molly and myself arrived in Bled around 7Am on a Friday after a 12 hour night train from Geneva with a stop in Zurich. The hostel, which was run by the nicest Slovenian family picked us up from the station and immediately we knew that Slovenians were the nicest people ever. They cooked us a huge egg breakfast (something I hadnt had inquite a while) and then drove us into town(we werent in Bled, we were in Selo about 15km out) and gave us a tour of the town. Bled is a small village perched on a beautful lake in a valley of the Julian Alps. On one side of the lake is a large cliff with Bled castle on top. In the center of the lake, there is a tiny island with room enough for only one church.

Our first morning, we hiked to the castle and were welcomed with amazing views and an even more amazing monk, Andre. Andre ran a wine cellar out of the castle and helped me complete one of my Euro-goals. Sabrage. Sabrage is the art of chopping a champagne bottle's top of with a sabre, a sweet party trick. I did it on my second try and we enjoyed the champagne bottle at 1030 am that morn.

Over the rest of the trip, we enjoyed amazing Slovenian food (for really cheap), we participated in the Slovenian National rafting Competitiong (no joke), took a boat to the island church, rang the bell in the chapel for good luck, and slept better than I ever have. Either the Slovenians put rohypnol in their dinner food, or they make the best damn beds ever.